Following last week’s look at an opening for a Designer at Boffi, we are using this week’s edition of our Job Highlights series to explore an opportunity on Archinect Jobs for a Public Interest Design (PID) Fellowship at the University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit Collaborative Design Center.
The 18-month fellowship, based in Detroit, calls for “young designers who are eager to gain experience in public interest design.” Among the responsibilities for the role are collaborating with the center’s wider team and partners on community engagement, design development, and project deliverables, as well as attending conferences and participating in training from senior mentors.
Why the role interests us
The fellowship at the Detroit Collaborative Design Center offers the opportunity to reflect on the many examples of community action undertaken by design entities tied to academic institutions. Last year, we covered students from the University of Buffalo who were constructing tiny homes to fight homelessness in the city, as well as a similar project by Drury architecture students.
2022 also saw the design and construction of an ADU by students from Rice University. The ADU was delivered as part of the school’s Construct program, which allows Rice students to design and build projects in collaboration with local community groups.
The importance of designers engaging in community action was highlighted in our previous interview with the University of Detroit Mercy’s architecture dean and DCDC director, Dan Pitera. In the interview, Pitera described the institution as one which “has consistently focused on justice and equity in our built environment” and noted that “we do not need to abandon the tools of our discipline to engage a wider variety of people in a collaborative way.”
“The DCDC works for justice, is inclusive, has a global perspective, is daring, and is fun,” Pitera added. “This is not only in the DNA of the DCDC. It is also in the DNA of the Detroit Mercy School of Architecture. DMSOA critically thinks about and connects all aspects of city design to ultimately create the places that celebrate all the people who inhabit them.”
Further reading for interested candidates
Job Highlights is one of a number of ongoing weekly series showcasing the opportunities available on our industry-leading job board. Our Meet Your Next Employer series profiles and interviews interesting studios with open positions currently available on Archinect Jobs, while our weekly roundups curate job opportunities by location, career level, and job description.
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